CHAPTER 51: EX 51. COLD KISS

Throughout the selection area, a deathly silence swept over the cadets like a thick fog.

The moment the demon had appeared—floating above the ruined forest with its monstrous horns and glowing eyes—every sound vanished. No one dared to speak, breathe too loudly, or even move more than necessary. It was as if the entire arena collectively understood: any wrong move could bring death.

Fear gripped them all.

This wasn’t a demonic beast.

This wasn’t a challenge.

This was an abomination, and its presence alone crushed the spirits of many.

Among the hundreds of cadets scattered throughout the selection zone, Elizabeth felt it the strongest. A cold chill ran down her spine—not from the demon’s presence alone, but from what her talent whispered to her.

Her talent had given her an affinity with death and right now, it reacted violently. But it wasn’t her death that called to her.

It was someone else’s.

Her eyes widened, and she muttered under her breath, almost in disbelief:

"Leon..."

The dread in her chest twisted into resolve. Without hesitation, she raised her hand, her magic flaring to life as undead rose from the ground around her. She gave them no time to gather—just a single command— get to the demon’s location as soon as possible.

---

Meanwhile, in the control chamber, chaos had erupted.

Alarms blared.

Monitors flickered.

Operators shouted over one another, trying to regain control.

Dozens of military officers scrambled from one console to another, screens flashing red with distorted visuals.

The moment James had activated that spell, their sensors had gone dark—a blackout effect like nothing they’d seen in any selection before.

And then, the demon appeared.

"Sir!" an observer barked, running up to a stern-looking man in a military uniform.

He was the Captain overseeing the East Sector Selection—the one who should have led the operation... if not for Rebecca Sky taking command.

"Sir! vanguard Rebecca has reached the barrier and the estimated time for collapse is Five minutes." the observer said breathlessly.

The captain nodded once.

"Five minutes..." he muttered before returning his gaze to the monitors. "These demons are getting more courageous—daring to appear in the capital."

But deep down, he knew why.

The Governor, along with many of his high-ranking vassals, had journeyed into the Trial World. The Federation’s strongest deterrents were temporarily gone.

"Perfect timing for a strike," the captain said under his breath, his gaze hardening.

He turned his attention to one of the main screens—its display locked on Rebecca Sky, the Black Vanguard incharge of this years selection. She was already there.

A blazing meteor of fury.

Her body shimmered with energy as she hammered down on a translucent black barrier with different attacks. Each strike boomed like a thunderclap, shaking the camera feed.

The barrier had snapped into place the moment the demon appeared, separating the interior of the zone from outside intervention.

"We can only rely on you now... Vanguard Rebecca Sky," the captain muttered solemnly.

Another boom rocked the screen as Rebecca’s continued her assault against the barrier once more—her relentless will radiating through every strike.

****

As the demon locked eyes with Leon from above, a slow, wicked smile crept across its scaled face.

This was the target.

This was the vessel.

Its mission had been simple:

Retrieve the vessel for their god.

Not through war, not through invasion—but corruption. All it took was an easily corrupted soul, one insecure cadet and a whisper of false power to shatter the Federation’s defenses from within.

"I have to be fast and finish this quickly," the demon thought, its glowing eyes narrowing.

"I just need his soul."

And then it vanished.

Leon’s pupils shrank as the air warped. His instincts screamed, but it was already too late.

A clawed hand erupted through his chest from behind, lifting him clean off the ground like a doll.

His mouth opened but no words came. Just blood.

The demon’s cold voice rumbled in his ear:

"And for the soul... the body must die."

At that instant, a scream pierced the clearing.

"LEON!!"

Elizabeth arrived, her face contorted with horror as she saw him impaled, suspended midair. The storm within her talent exploded outward.

A monstrous aura of death surged from her very soul, drowning the air in icy hatred.

Her army—every undead she’d summoned, every revenant she’d raised—responded like hounds unleashed, charging toward the demon with vengeance.

But the demon only smiled, amused by the display.

"Oh? The vessel was important to you?" it sneered, lifting its head arrogantly.

"Then why don’t I send you to him?"

It released its S-rank aura.

The ground shook. The sky dimmed. And every undead Elizabeth had nurtured, raised, and preserved was crushed to dust in an instant, their bones snapping and shattering from the sheer pressure.

Elizabeth staggered, drained but defiant.

The demon began walking toward her—Leon still hanging lifeless from its claws.

It raised its other hand, claws glinting with menace.

Elizabeth stood her ground, trembling, lips drawn back in fury.

"Let me reunite you."

Just as the hand came down—

Boom!

A hulking undead slammed into the demon from the front, catching it by surprise and pushing it back with sheer force.

The impact jolted its grip, and Leon’s body fell, tumbling beside Elizabeth.

She dropped to her knees beside him.

The wound in his chest was horrific—blood still flowing, heart slowing. His skin pale. His breath... faint. Too faint.

Elizabeth didn’t look much better.

Her once-raven-black hair had turned bleached white, her skin now sickly pale, as though death had already claimed her, yet her will kept her upright.

She reached out with shaking hands, fingers brushing Leon’s bloodied cheek.

The demon was still recovering from the tackle, but it had already incinerated the defiant undead and was storming toward them again—rage twisting its monstrous face.

But Elizabeth didn’t look up.

Her eyes only saw Leon.

And with the last of her strength, she leaned down...and kissed him.

"L-Leon..."she whispered, her voice breaking.

Their lips met—cold on cold.

And just as the demon raised its arm to obliterate them both—

Crack!

A shudder swept across the world.

The barrier surrounding the selection shattered like glass,

a brilliant flash of light erupting from the sky

Rebecca Sky had arrived.